A popular Filipino brunch spot in the Mission could close after the third break-in in six weeks.
Kitchen staff at Alnico on Valencia Street, which has 15 employees, discovered the latest break-in when they arrived early Sunday. Intruders broke a window to gain entry and targeted the restaurant’s built-in safe, cutting a hole into its side to suck out the contents with a vacuum cleaner, manager Christine Guevarra told The Standard.
Though the restaurant has been asking customers to avoid paying in cash after an earlier break-in, the thieves were able to steal approximately $500 in cash tips.
Guevarra said the previous break-ins occurred Dec. 10 and Dec. 23 and shared police report numbers with The Standard. The San Francisco Police Department did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
“I know it’s the same person or team coming in, because they know exactly where to go,” Guevarra said. The latest incident left blood droplets that police investigators are analyzing for evidence, she said.
The 3-year-old restaurant has faced mounting security challenges. Before the three recent burglaries, break-ins occurred approximately every six months, the owner said. Security cameras caught images of the perpetrators, some of whom were wearing masks.
The restaurant also experiences regular vandalism, including graffiti on walls and windows, Guevarra said. Staff often clean human waste outside the restaurant, requiring city intervention to address issues related to nearby homeless encampments.
The damage from recent break-ins has cost the business thousands of dollars, including repairs to windows, doors, locks, equipment, and the safe. Though staff tracked a stolen iPad from the Dec. 23 break-in to a Valencia Street address just blocks away, police were unable to recover it, Guevarra said.
Insurance claims are pending, but Guevarra said the demands of addressing the break-ins have left no time for the business to explore city assistance programs or grants that might alleviate the financial burden. The city provides a grant of up to $2,000 for vandalism-related costs, which can include break-in damages.
Guevarra added that the high cost of doing business, in addition to the break-ins, could lead to a closure.
“The restaurant industry is not the same as it used to be,” she said. “It’s very discouraging that we’re being forced to close down in our city that we grew up in because of all the crimes and vandalism that we’re facing.”